WWGG vs. WWJD

Remember back in the early 2000s there was that whole WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) craze? I worked at a Christian bookstore at the time and it was a Christian marketer’s dream come true! There were bracelets, t-shirts, posters, pencils, Bibles, hats, bookmarks, buttons...you name it, they made it. And the people bought it.

I remember feeling uncomfortable about the whole enterprise. Not only was the overmarketing of stuff off-putting, but the question itself didn’t settle well with me. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not exactly a bad question. But it’s a very moralistic question. My thought then (and now) was that a better acronym would be WWGG: What Would Glorify God?

In life, ministry, and missions we can often fall into the WWJD trap. We can do a lot of good things and then congratulate ourselves for choosing to do the good things. But the end of that is self. Imagine if we instead asked, “What would glorify God?” whenever we had to make a decision. What if we chose to do things based on what would have the greatest kingdom impact? How would that transform our lives and the direction we ended up going?

There are a lot of catchy sayings out there that sound good but are all fluff in the end. Let’s not fall into those traps that lead to self-centered/self-glorifying lives. Rather, let us wake up every day and plan, plot, and step forward with the glory of God at the forefront of our minds and hearts. Let us live kingdom-centered lives as beloved tools in the hand of our Heavenly Father.

So, today, what will you do to glorify God? How will you live out a kingdom-centric life through the use of your time, your skills, your funds, your life decisions (both big and small)?

But be warned. A God glorifying, kingdom-centric life inevitably leads to a heart for missions as well as a heart for your local church. That’s because asking these questions leads us to answers that are at the center of the heart of God. And it is there you will discover his heart for the nations and, ultimately, Christ’s bride—the church.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(1 Peter 4:10–11, ESV)